Useful links...

Previous Music Gigs

Amy Newton and Jenna Witts

Thu 06 Dec 2018

It's Nearly Christmas!

Come and join us for a night of festive cheer.

Jenna Witts and Amy Newton have performed together on several occasions and are always well received. They are local Devon girls with an international reputation. Their song-writing is sensational and their voices blend to perfection.

Yazzy performing in aid of SHELTERBOX

Wed 16 Jan 2019

Red Alert

20 Jun 2018

Janette Mason • Keyboards
Tom Mason • Bass
George Hart • Drums

"Infectious grooving, clever composing and audacious improvisation... One of the best" — John Fordham, The Guardian

Janette Mason is a composer, arranger, producer and performer with a diverse musical career.

She toured extensively throughout the 90s with artists like Oasis, Pulp and Robert Wyatt and can be heard on the CD soundtrack to the recent Disney release, Cars 3.

She has proven to be a consummate musician and a standout talent in Jazz, Pop, Indie, Rock and World Music.

Her latest project, Red Alert, is inspired by her passionate belief that jazz needs to constantly evolve to attract a younger, more diverse audience.

Her unique contemporary compositions, drawing on her wide-ranging influences from Dave Brubeck to David Bowie and Herbie Hancock to Goldfrapp, combine interesting timescapes and modern beats with a cinematic texture and are underpinned by a mature and inventive jazz vocabulary. Her vision is brought to life by the explosive combination of George Hart on drums and Tom Mason on Bass and is a direct musical response to the political and social challenges now facing us all - hence the name Red Alert.

Janette's powerful and rhythmic approach to the piano is subtly fused with synthesizers to create a musical journey that is as engaging as it is thought provoking.

Janette was nominated for a Parliamentary jazz award for her second trio album Alien Left Hand and she reached the Grammy ballot for The Live Smoke Sessions with Lea DeLaria for which she took on the dual roles of arranger and producer. Her music has been described as similar to E.S.T and The Bad Plus.

Loz Speyer's Inner Space

23 May 2018

Chris Biscoe - alto sax, alto clarinet

Rachel Musson - tenor and soprano sax

Loz Speyer - trumpet, flugelhorn

Olie Brice - double bass

Gary Willcox - drums

Inner Space plays jazz with a rare warmth and immediacy. The compositions combine rhythmic changes with subliminal references that synthesize New Orleans, Bebop, contemporary straight-ahead and Free Jazz. Each piece of music evolves its own form, its own balance of structure and freedom, its own atmosphere. There are audible references to Mingus, Monk, Ornette et al, but mainly there's just the immediacy of these five highly distinctive musicians working it out all in the here and now.

The new album 'Life on the Edge' was released on Leo Records in 2017, with international airplay and reviews and four stars in Jazzwise and on All About Jazz. Recorded on the back of the band's last Arts Council funded tour, it really captures the live interactive quality of the music.

Ed Jones Quartet

04 Apr 2018

Award winning Saxophonist/Ed Jones returns to the quartet format with which he first made his name on the UK jazz scene over 25 years ago. Formed in 2011 and Initially inspired by the music of Wayne Shorter this quartet has branched out to feature original new compositions from Jones and bassist Riaan Vosloo with outstanding support from Ross Stanley on Piano and Tim Gilles on Drums. Their recording 'For Your Ears Only' recorded in the summer of 2016 and is being released in Autumn 2017 on Impossible Ark Records. It also features a special guest appearance from acclaimed vocalist Brigitte Beraha.

To coincide with the release of 'For Your Ears Only' Ed will be embarking on a 20 Date Uk Tour with the Quartet. This is his first solo recording release and UK Tour since his 2003 Seven Moments album.

Elliot Galvin Trio

15 Mar 2018

Corrie Dick • Drums, Percussion

Tom McCredie • Double Bass, Guitar

Elliot Galvin • Piano, Synthesiser, Toys

The Elliot Galvin trio are touring the UK to coincide with the release of a new album entitled 'The Influencing Machine'

Elliot Galvin is a rising star of the European jazz scene, and a key member of Mercury Music Prize nominated band Dinosaur.

In 2018 he releases his third album, The Influencing Machine, his debut in Edition Records, featuring bassist Tom McCredie and drummer Corrie Dick.

The Influencing Machine is a sonic reaction to the human mind, technology and the post-truth age. Analogue synthesis and electric sounds orbit the acoustic world of piano, bass and drums as the ensemble present some exhilarating new music. One of the rising stars of UK jazz, Elliot is a key member of Dinosaur, led by Laura Jurd. A superbly gifted composer and pianist, his maverick imagination and magpie-like ability to blend a disparate world of influences has seen him compared to Django Bates.

Led by composer/pianist Elliot Galvin, The Influencing Machine is a sonic reaction to the human mind, technology and the post-truth age. Analogue synthesis and electric sounds orbit the acoustic world of piano, bass and drums as the critically acclaimed ensemble launch their brand new album on the European label Edition Records.

"He reminds me of the young Django Bates, and the impression Django made on me in the 1980s - great improv chops, strong character as a player and a composer, evident love of the jazz tradition without wanting to repeat the past, very English sense of humour. He’s the kind of artist you always want to stay tuned in to, because you know he’s going to keep on coming up with surprises." — John Fordham (The Guardian).

"Jazz Music for the Radiohead fan" — Rochester City Newspaper

"He's the kind of artist you always want to stay tuned in to, because you know he’s going to keep on coming up with surprises." — The Guardian

Bahla 'Imprints' Album Tour 2018

Bahla is a London-based five-piece outfit, breaking new ground with their unique mix of cinematic jazz entangled with Jewish folklore. By learning how different cultures have met in the past, they have developed a way to organically marry their individual influences into an arresting and dynamic sound of their own. Formed by Venezuelan pianist Joseph Costi and English guitarist Tal Janes while studying together in London, their meeting unearthed a sound world of Jewish folk melodies hidden in their memories from childhood, albeit in two different corners of the world. They curiously began researching and learning about the wide spread geography and history of the music, ranging from North-African rhythms, liturgical melodies and yiddish art songs from Russia. Bahla was born to bring their findings to life.

Their debut album Imprints is a collection of 8 songs inspired by different stories of identity, migration and displacement. The music is home to many different influences ranging from Radiohead to Polar Bear and Shai Maestro, but has kept Jewish folk traditions at its core. Music and culture are joined at the hip and particularly in the current climate, Bahla have been driven to show that it is not only possible for different cultures to meet peacefully, but these moments of collaboration can lead to something new and exciting. Across the album, a distinctive palette is underset by a bold and dynamic rhythm section, while radiant vocals - echoing the modal form of Jewish prayer music - rise and fall over searching, delicate melodies on keys and guitar.

Since their debut performance at the late BBC Proms, Bahla have kept a busy schedule including performances at the London Jazz Festival and Brecon Jazz Festival, and will support the release of Imprints with a number of UK shows in 2018.

"Beautifully realized music, calm and ruminative, full of invention and ideas" — Transient Life

Jim Crawford in aid of Shelterbox

17 Jan 2018

Jenna Witts and Amy Newton • Christmas Special

07 Dec 2017

Jenna Witts and Amy Newton have performed together on several occasions and are always well received! They are local Devon girls with an international reputation. Their songwriting is sensational and their voices blend to perfection.

Amy studied music at Liverpool School of Performing Arts and her songs have been used for movie soundtracks. She has released two solo albums and also runs a café/recording studio / music venue called Saunton Road Studios in Braunton.

Jenna has a wealth of recording and touring experience behind her including 5 nation-wide tours with Steve Knightley (Show of Hands) and 3 solo albums. Her 1st album was named one of the Financial Times Top 10 world albums of 2007. Her second album 'Brother' has also received great critical acclaim and airplay on Radio 2 and her latest album 'Hitchhiker' reached number 1 in the Radio Caroline Countdown of Albums chart.

Jenna and Amy both deliver wonderfully melodic songs inspired by their native North Devon, love and life. They will be performing solo sets as well as joining each other for some select duets and Christmas specials!

Tickets are limited to ensure that the social and musical ambience is at its best.

Rachael Roberts and The Gatsby Gang

17 Nov 2017

Rachael's musical interests have spanned a diverse range of genres. Initially influenced by modern day artists such as Erykah Badu and Zero 7, she is also greatly inspired by the vocal performances of legendary figures such as Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.

Rachael's own song-writing earned her a publishing deal with Peter Gabriel's company Real World, with a debut album entitled 'Quietude' produced by Alex Swift (Massive Attack, Amy Winehouse). But her love of performing earlier jazz styles has now reached fruition with 'The Gatsby Gang'.

Journeying through jazz standards from the 1920s and 1930s with delightful stories and anecdotes, Rachael is backed by an all-star band featuring Richard Llewllyn (Guitar), James Budden (Double Bass) and her father Tony Roberts - a well-known jazz saxophonist who has worked with many jazz luminaries such as John Dankworth and Humphrey Littleton, and collaborated with Pentangle's bassist Danny Thompson and Miles Davis guitarist John McLaughlin.

This sophisticated, genre-bending trio has been delighting audiences since its debut album release 'The Day I Had Everything' on Edition Records. Driven by a commitment to in-the-moment improvisation and collective musical banter, the band's idiomatic sweep through bluegrass, tango, abstract grooves and shimmering landscapes is delivered with flair and playful abandon. Three distinctive compositional voices, all hugely influential in the London scene, combine to form a unique sounding group.

Malija has just recorded its second CD entitled 'Instinct' and will be playing UK dates in their autumn tour and again in early 2018.

"Drummerless jazz groups can face an uphill battle raising an audience's pulse, but if the inbuilt grooves of the players are strong enough, the problem disappears. The British trio Malija know all about rhythm, and from different perspectives.

"Will forever magnify what is beautiful about new jazz" — Wexford Echo

"The pleasure of this trio in their close relationship is infectiously evident all over the set." — The Guardian (UK)

John Turville: Solstice

08 Jun 2017

Tori Freestone: saxes/flute

Brigitte Beraha: voice

John Turville: piano

Jez Franks: guitar

Dave Manington: double bass

George Hart: drums

Solstice is an ensemble comprising some of the foremost band leaders and composers emerging from the thriving East London music scene. Having toured extensively throughout the UK and Europe with their own projects and artists as diverse as Kenny Wheeler, Tim Garland, Andy Sheppard, Dave Binney, Django Bates, Jasper Hoiby and Ivo Neame, this new group was conceived as an opportunity to explore the compositional possibilities inherent in a larger ensemble.

The group have a unified sound drawing on influences from Brazil, New York, and France whilst retaining a uniquely British identity. Their debut album 'Alimentation', launched at the end of 2016 on Two Rivers Records is accompanied by a twenty date UK and European tour in 2017.

"Solstice's set was steely, smooth and haunting; the more intense moments balanced by cool, shimmering plateaux of peace. Some of the compositions have a very urban, almost industrial sensibility to them; in my mind, its busy, chaotic, angular yet atonal lines seem to weave among streets of traffic and towering skyscrapers" - (Rory Duffy)

Sirkis/Bialas IQ

19 Apr 2017

Asaf Sirkis: Drums, Compositions

Sylwia Bialas: Voice, Compositions

Frank Harrison: Piano,Keyboards

Kevin Glasgow: Electric Bass

The Sirkis/Bialas International Quartet is a fresh new collaboration between Israeli UK-resident drummer/composer Asaf Sirkis, known for his work with the Lighthouse trio (ACT), Gilad Atzmon, Tim Garland, Larry Corryel, John Abercrombie, Asaf Sirkis Trio, and Polish vocalist/composer extraordinaire Sylwia Bialas. The quartet features London based, Scottish bassist Kevin Glasgow, and the acclaimed Frank Harrison on piano and keyboards.

With an emphasis on band interaction and sheer joy of playing, this band celebrates music from both collaborators, covering a wide range of influences such as contemporary classical music, Polish folk, South Indian and Middle Eastern musics as well as a wide range of dynamics - from the most delicate ballad all the way to high-energy electric virtuoso lines and everything in between. Expect soulful melodies, aerospheric sounds with strong grooves, a full color electro-acoustic jazz with an ethnic touch and some uncommonly used instruments and sound effects.The quartet's latest album 'Come To Me' was released in 2014 at the London Jazz Festival and the band has been touring in the UK and Europe since.

Damon Brown Korean Trio

23 Nov 2016

Featuring musicians from Seoul, South Korea: Kang Woong on Guitar and Park JinKyo on Double Bass.

Damon will be singing and trumpeting in this project, it has a touch of Chet Baker about the music. It's very intimate obviously, but kind of quirky and has a lot of soul.

"Merritt is not only an artist to watch, but also to listen to, as one would a dawn chorus: with eyes closed and mind opened" — Tyran Grillo, All About Jazz ****

"Merritt's rich but dry tone traces a line back to the Cool School jazzers such as Warne Marsh" — Robert Shore, Jazzwise ****

"Merritt's warm, dry, Getzian fluency is a joy, whether intertwining with Turville's mysterious, unpredictable chordal shifts or bubbling with controlled fervour... This feels like just the beginning and what a beginning" — Adrian Pallant

Mafarowi

18 May 2016

Martin Speake on alto saxophone

Faith Brackenbury on vocals and violin

Rob Luft guitar

Will Glaser drums/percussion

A newly formed project that is a pared-down version of my previous seven-piece group Fever Pitch. This was formed to reflect my interest in rhythmic music from around the world including Arabic/Indian and Turkish influences. I felt I wanted to play music that is very immediate for audiences and is simple harmonically, groove based and the improvising consists of primarily melodic and rhythmic development rather than based on chord changes.

Shelterbox - Disaster Relief - Loney vs Bangham

13 Apr 2016

An acoustic concert in aid of shelterbox.co.uk

Maciek Pysz

20 April 2016

Maciek plays his own compositions which are inspired by daily life, he is self-taught and inspired by Ralph Towner, Pat Metheny and many others. As a performer, his compositions are highly imaginative and cinematic, and audiences quickly respond to his music with rapt attention - not just because of Maciek's virtuosity but because they can identify with the emotions being expressed in the music, and because the music is very enjoyable. He has a serious social media presence on all the major platforms and marketing support from his record label.

Maciek has a Trio (with bass and drums) and a Quartet (includes piano or accordion). His band members are Yuri Goloubev or Yaron Stavi (double bass), Eric Ford or Pedro Segundo (drums) and Maurizio Minardi (piano and accordion). The band offered depends on availability.

"From the start it was obvious that this was going to be something special. Pysz had the audience enthralled." — Lance Liddle, The Globe, Newcastle, November 2015.

"The group understanding was special" — Sebastian Scotney, London Jazz News, November 2015.

Maciek received a testimonial from Andrew Knutt after a performance at the Creative Innovation Centre, Taunton:

"As a jazz club venue owner I have to say that Maciek Pysz Trio has to be one of the most creative and well-crafted jazz performances we have seen this year. The quality of the live performance and 'A Journey' album has become the most desired by us and our jazz audiences. I would truly recommend any venue to house this amazing trio."

John Law's New Congregation

Wed 16 Mar 2016

Since his days as a prize-winning classical prodigy, trained in London and Vienna for a career as a concert pianist, John Law has carved out a niche for himself as one of Europe's leading jazz, contemporary and improvising pianist/composers. He has appeared, to ecstatic audience acclaim, all over Europe and North America, at major venues such as London's Queen Elizabeth Hall and Ronnie Scotts, Bimhuis (Amsterdam), Unterfahrt (Munich), Porgy (Vienna), played at more than 50 festivals worldwide, including the London Jazz Festival and the North Sea Jazz Festival and made over 30 recordings.

He now brings to fruition all his varied influences, from jazz and classical through to electronics, with his latest group New Congregation. With a stunning new double CD These Skies In Which We Rust (33Xtreme 006) released in April 2015, featuring UK award-winning rising star Josh Arcoleo on tenor saxophone, Russian super bass player Yuri Goloubev and the fabulous talents of young British drummer Laurie Lowe, the original music of John Law manages to combine both complexity in harmony and rhythm with simple, direct, almost rock music-like anthemic melodies and introducing occasional subtle electronics to the group's classic acoustic jazz quartet set-up. Creative music for now.

"Combining the vocabularies of jazz and classical in a seamless way, coalescing improvisational surprise with a deep elegiac musicality" — All About Jazz

"Technical bravura with crystal clear fast passagework coupled with a sovereign command over everything that is pianistically possible.. You wonder if there is actually anything that this pianist can�t do" — Jazz Podium, Germany

"One of the under-recognised giants of British modern jazz/new music piano" — Downtown Music Gallery, New York

"One of Europe�s most adventurous pianists" — Jazzwise, UK

"A brilliant group... a band heading for great things!" — John Fordham, The Guardian

"Creative music at a level not often heard...a formidable technique" — Cadence, New York

Dead Hedge Trio

Wed 18 Nov 2015

Michael Metcalfe • Drums

Rory Ballantyne • Guitar

Nick Branton • Saxophone

The trio have melded sounds from jazz, psychedelic rock and Afro-beat to create a sordid, fizzing, squeaking yet palatably groovy aesthetic. The improvised aspects of the performance provide a rough punky edge, while their musicianship and creativity deliver a satisfying jazzy depth.

In carving out this odyssey, Dead Hedge Trio were initially recognised around their home base of Liverpool as the arresting in-house-band at the (now sadly defunct but nevertheless) indispensable city centre jazz café Mello Mello. From these roots in the eclectic and richly diverse Ropewalks crowd of creators, Dead Hedge came out of the basement and onto the stage alongside formidable touring acts and peers, such as Polar Bear, Roller Trio, Shatner's Bassoon, Marshall Allen of Sun Ra Arkestra, Alabaster De Plume's Copernicus Trio, Azores, The Weave, and Shiver.

May 2015 saw the release of an EP of four stand-out cuts from DEAD HEDGE TRIO's ambitious and multifarious live set. Clocking in at 26 minutes, the release rides roughshod over flavours taking in the deconstruction of rock's customs à la Acoustic Ladyland and Morphine, through to unwavering atmospheric pulses akin to Labradford, tastes of layered but live-in-the-room treatments along the lines of Tortoise, right past the grooves and shark-baiting straight swinging of Flying Lotus, Thundercat et al; this is a record that is acutely aware of the past's weight and might, but stares intently outward, up and forward perhaps into an abyss, perhaps into the entrance of Tom Waits' big top. There is humour in the dark, after all - it shouldn't come as a surprise to hear shirt-tugging no-wave echoes of The Lounge Lizards in this storied combo's live shows.

The Trio are currently working on a collaborative digital art and music video with Liverpool based artists exploring themes of spontaneity and glitch in ordered systems.

Kindling Trio

Unfortunately THIS GIG has been CANCELLED. Please contact us at info@broomhillart.co.uk to obtain a refund or transfer your ticket to another jazz evening.

Dan Messore (guitar), Joe Webb(organ), Rod Oughton (drums)

Grooving sounds emanate from this band of top players. Fluid improvisations and deep interaction bringing life to a set of well chosen tunes.

"Dan Messore channels Frisell, Fahey and other masters of the fret board, while managing to create a singular sound world of his own. The evocative power of Messore's music is evident from the outset in the open spaces and Jarrett-like lyricism. A formidable improviser with an assured sense of narrative ebb and flow." — Peter Quinn, Jazzwise

"It's fair to quote names like Pat Metheny and the aforesaid frisell as references, but the seam of jazz messore is mining goes further back to such as Charlie Byrd and Jim Hall." — Kevin Le Gendre BBC Music Review

Phil Meadows Group - Lifecycles Tour 2015

Combining five rising stars on the UK jazz scene the Phil Meadows Group are inviting you to join them as they hit the windy roads of Britain on their second UK tour. Featuring a host of award-winning talent and fresh from their sold out 2014 EFG London Jazz Festival showcase the PMG features the 2015 Parliamentary Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year and trumpeter Laura Jurd, European Young Jazz Artist Award winner and pianist Elliot Galvin, acclaimed bassist Flo Moore and drummer/percussionist Simon Roth.

'Future jazz Gods on the rise...' - Rosie Hanley, TimeOut.

The Lifecycles tour sees the small group of Meadows perform 11 shows to promote their second album, recorded in collaboration with the Engines Orchestra. Showcasing music from Lifecycles alongside brand new repertoire their music remains highly melodic with elements of folk and classical lyricism juxtaposed by freewheeling spontaneity, blazing solos and rip-roaring grooves as the group depict the situations, tough decisions and life-changing experiences that we all go through.

As one of the UK's leading young saxophonist and composers Meadows has already received the 2015 London Music Awards 'Rising Jazz Star', 2015 Parliamentary Jazz Ensemble of the Year (Engines Orchestra), 2014 Parliamentary Jazz Newcomer of the Year and 2013 Peter Whittingham Jazz Award and brings a stellar group with him for an unmissable performance.

So far the Lifecycles project has been featured in Jazzwise, TimeOut and The Guardian; recieving widespread acclaim with airplay including BBC Radio 2’s Jamie Cullum Show, the 'Best of 2014' BBC Jazz on 3 programme (chosen by John Fordham) and becoming part of the regular JazzFM playlist.

Gwyneth Herbert

Thu 10 Sep 2015

Gwyneth Herbert is a strikingly original performer, award-winning composer, lyricist and versatile musical adventurer who continues to redefine and challenge expectations. With one foot in the jazz world and the other somewhere in the future, she has released six albums to date on both major and independent labels, including the first Blue Note UK release for 30 years. Over the last year Gwyn has seen her musical co-written with celebrated playwright Diane Samuels open at the Southwark Playhouse, recorded a new run of BBC Radio 4''s Playlist Series and built an interdisciplinary installation about sculptors Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore and a Fun Palace in Stratford Station (both with artist Mel Brimfield).

"Each of the songs is an impressively crafted, well-observed and engrossing vignette... Simply a triumph" - 5/5 Morning Star

Moats & Thrones

Wed 24 Jun 2015

Tom Herbert (bass) with Alice Grant (vocals)

Pared down sound highlighting the individuality and beauty of both voice and double bass.

Gabrielle Ducomble Band: Parisian-style Jazz & Tango

Thu 14 May 2015

Now a firm favourite in her adopted UK, talented vocalist Gabrielle Ducomble brings a special blend of Gallic charm and sophistication to the British jazz scene.

Singing in English and her native French, Gabrielle performs Parisian-style jazz and tango, putting a contemporary spin on songs by Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg and Astor Piazzolla, plus her own original material. Her band, including some of Europe's finest musicians in an authentic line-up of guitar and accordion, provides the perfect anchor for her superlative vocals.

Michael Messer & Manish Pingle: Blues and Indian Slide Guitar Trio

Wed 01 Apr 2015

East meets West in this new musical meeting between two virtuoso players of both slide and steel guitar.

Formed in 2013 after Michael Messer and Manish Pingle met during a festival in Mumbai, this trio is a not only a coming together of like-minded musicians, each with high profile reputations in their own spheres, but also an inspired exploration of the ground between Michael's blues and steel
guitar and Manish's classical Indian slide guitar. Adding the polyrhythmic virtuosity of the highly regarded tabla player Gurdain Rayatt, the two guitarists have created a unique trio that appeals to everyone interested in instrumental brilliance and the musical connections that flow from the Ganges to the Mississippi Delta.

Damon Brown

13 Feb 2014

Damon Brown began to visit Korea regularly about 4 years ago while performing in Japan .He developed a strong musical relationship with Bassist Martin Zenker. Martin has been a Professor of Jazz Bass on one of the leading Jazz programs in Seoul.

In May 2012 the Band made a short tour in Korea that featured Michael Lutzeier on Baritone Saxophone. Michael is a wonderful musician highly respected in Germany as the leading Baritone player on the scene there. The excellent young piano player on these gigs was from the Scotland and is called Paul Kirby. The whole tour worked very well and it was decided then to make a tour in Jan/Feb 2013 of Germany and the UK. The tour which included Mark Taylor on drums went very well and led the group to record their first CD. The repertoire features strong melodic compositions from Damon, Martin, Michael and Paul and some lesser known songs from the standard repertoire.

It's very much a classic 1950 sound but with modern references, echoes of Mulligan and Baker and also Donald Byrd and Pepper Adams.

Nancy Nova

19 Mar 2014

Nancy Nova sings jazz with John Dolton on guitar.

Nancy is a prolific and excellent songwriter as well as performer and recording artist with a very distinctive voice.

Nancy Nova and John Dolton have recently collaborated to form an acoustic jazz duo. This is a new departure for Nancy, (80s pop diva and EMI recording artist), and John Dolton, (who has worked with Reg Meuross, Mother Gong and on diverse projects: most recently with a classical trio specialising in early music). Performing a mixture of jazz standards and self penned numbers, the couple are gaining much interest in their new project and are currently working on their debut album.

Led Bib

23 Apr 2014

10th anniversary tour.

Formed in 2003 Led Bib are one of the original torch bearers for the revitalized young British jazz scene. Eight years and five albums later and the group continue to dodge definition - they are at once a maverick jazz band and an unlikely rock quintet. The group, formed in 2003 by drummer/composer Mark Holub established its current line up around seven years ago. Since then they have rocketed into the public consciousness within a swirl of critical acclaim, high profile shows, many TV and radio appearances, awards and a growing audience base, won over by their electric live sets - the sonic equivalent of a volcanic eruption backed by a fire storm.

Guy Davis

15 May 2014

Bluesman guitarist from New York.

He's a musician, composer, actor, director, and writer. But most importantly, Guy Davis is a bluesman. The blues permeates every corner of Davis' creativity. Throughout his career, he has dedicated himself to reviving the traditions of acoustic blues and bringing them to as many ears as possible through the material of the great blues masters, African American stories, and his own original songs, stories and performance pieces.

Elliot Galvin Trio

12 Jun 2014

The Elliot Galvin Trio was formed in 2012 and sees the meeting of three like- minded creatives. Exploring the possibilities of the traditional piano trio line-up with a sense of playful experimentation, the group play original material written by Elliot. The band effortlessly juggle a number of musical worlds as the realms of classical, jazz, popular and art music all make an appearance. This is held together with a free-spirited, improv sensibility which at times pushes the sonic capabilities and traditions of their instruments to another level. Having performed at a number of venues around the UK, the trio never fail to deliver a performance which perfectly balances technically virtuosity, a healthy dose of fun and playfulness as well as moments of captivating beauty.

Their Debut Album 'Dreamland' will be released on 10 Mar 2014 on the Chaos Collective label.

Blue-eyed Hawk

11 Sep 2014

Taking its name from a line in W.B. Yeats's poem Under the Moon, Blue-Eyed Hawk is a co-operative quartet that brings a wide open improv sensibility to its melodic and richly textured original material. The band formed in 2011 and creates highly charged and emotive music that takes in rock, jazz, minimalist and electronic soundworlds. Blue-Eyed Hawk's debut album will be released in Autumn 2014.

Jonathan Gee Trio - Jazz at Broomhill

16 May 2013

Jonathon Gee Trio touring with their new album Dragonfly. ...Cutting edge, exciting music led by one of the UK’s most original and sought after pianists. Featuring Jonathan Gee - piano, Marcus Vergette - bass and Andy Trim - drums.

Open Souls

Fri 23 Nov 2012

Seb Rochford • drums

Ranjana Ghatak • semi-classical Indian singer

Jason Singh • beatboxer and sound artist

Seb Rochford is a drummer, composer and producer based in London. Ranjana Ghatak is a London-born singer who released her debut ep ‘Awakening’ in 2011. Jason Singh is a multi-disciplinary artist who creates and facilitates work through the media of sound, music, photography, poetry and the moving image. The music is soundscape, driving improvised rhythms using Indian classical compositions and contemporary music as its inspiration.

Amy Newton & Jenna Witts

Thu 13 Dec 2012

Performing under our Christmas Tree.

Amy is a singer-songwriter based in Braunton in North Devon. Her highly developed and individualistic guitar work and catchy choruses remain with you long after she has stopped playing.

Singer-songwriter Jenna Witts who lives in Woolacombe in North Devon has only to look out of her window as she has the sights and sounds of the beach to get all the inspiration she needs for her songs. Jenna also plays guitar, piano and harmonium.

Drawing upon original compositions and traditional melodies as a basis for improvisation, this classic quartet line-up fuses elements of European folk, jazz and classical traditions, creating a unique and distinctive soundworld.

Time Zone

Wed 19 Sep 2012

Leo Speyer • trumpet and flugelhorn

Martin Hathaway • alto sax, bass clarinet

Stuart Hall • guitar

Dave Manington • double bass

Andy Ball • drums

Maurizio Ravalico • congas, percussion

Time Zone is a ensemble led by a trumpeter/composer who has absorbed the essence of Cuban music and distilled it quite cunningly into an improvisatory context with no compromise to either culture. Time Zone express some of the surreal complexity of life in Cuba and the interaction of Cuban culture with their own, the music draws fully on the capabilities and diverse experience of six great musicians.

Philip Clouts Quartet

Thu 10 Nov 2011

When pianist Philip Clouts began his collaboration with F-IRE collective saxophonist Carlos Lopez-Real in 2008 sparks flew and a formidable new unit was born. Clouts is steeped both in the music of his native South Africa and in a diverse range of world musics which he has explored to critical acclaim with his larger outfit ZubopGambia; he draws on a wide range of compositional areas, challenging musical boundaries. Lopez-Real has developed a ground breaking solo voice which builds on the work of M-Base founder Steve Coleman and maverick genius Dave Liebman, who himself has said of Carlos “he plays with a sound that comes from his soul.”

The innovative music of this collaboration has been performed on two national tours supported by Jazz Services, and the debut CD “Sennen Cove” is out now on Point Records. Clouts lives on the South West coast and the CD features melodic contemporary jazz pieces he has written inspired by the sights and sounds of the area while staying true to his own musical roots in African and Latin music. It has already attracted airplay on BBC Radio 3, Jazz FM, UK Jazz Radio and Radio Bremen.

Melodic Contemporary Jazz. “They cook up some nice, tricky rhythms to keep you alert, and control an impressive range of dynamics... Clouts makes the piano sound exactly right for each piece” – The Observer

Kit Downes and Seb Rochford Duo

Mercury Music Prize nominees and winners of the BBC Jazz Award for Rising Star, pianist Kit Downes and jazz drummer Seb Rochford (from Acoustic Ladyland and Polar Bear) will be an unmissable duo this September!

Pianist/composer Kit Downes exploded onto the British Jazz Scene playing with the band Empirical, taking him through Europe and America, and then with Troyka, Stan Sulzmann, Fraud and Acoustic Ladyland. He then went on to win the BBC Jazz Award for Rising Star in 2008, a Yamaha Scholorship in 2009 and a British Jazz Award in 2010.

One of the busiest young drummers in the country, Seb Rochford has played hardcore punk, straight-ahead jazz, hip hop and drum ‘n’ bass. He has drummed for Pete Doherty, with his band Babyshambles, worked extensively with Joanna MacGregor and Andy Sheppard, leads the band Fulborn Teversham and has an improvising duo with Leafcutter John.

Fulborn Teversham

Wed 15 Jun 2011

Fulborn Teversham are the mind-blowing new group of Seb Rochford, the extraordinarily in-demand and prolific drummer/composer, leader of Mercury Music prize nominees Polar Bear, and winner of BBC Jazz award for Rising Star 2004.

“A raw, live in the room sound, with elliptical nods to James ‘Blood’ Ulmer,Tortoise and the free jazz cosmos along the way
It’s jazz shorn of cliche that demands to be taken on its pigeonhole rebuffing merits.” — Mojo

Neon Quartet

Wed 20 Apr 2011

Neon quartet is a new group featuring one of the UK’s finest and most respected saxophonists and composers Stan Sulzmann in the company of three of the most in demand and versatile young musicians on the British scene. Completing the quartet are BBC rising star Kit Downs on piano and two members of London's Loop collective Jim Hart on vibes and drummer Tim Giles. The group is a true collaboration with music written by all four musicians. It is chamber music for the 21st century. Melodic and playful with a sense of openness whilst having a very contemporary edge.

“A delightful surprise: purposefully hip and vibrant. Hart’s conversations with Downes sound like some of the most seductive piano-vibes dialogues this side of John Lewis’s and Milt Jackson’s in the legendary Modern Jazz Quartet.” • Guardian ****

Disassembler • Trevor Warren

Thu 10 Mar 2011

Trevor Warren, previously known as the leader of world jazz band Deva, brings together a fusion of jazz, rock and ethnic grooves with this inspired quintet. Winners of the 2009 Best Foreign Jazz Group at the Granada Jazz Festival, Disassembler are considered to be “one of the premiere contemporary jazz units in Britain” • All About Jazz.

“...picking out individuals isn’t the point—this is just a brilliant ensemble.” • MusicMetal.com

Trevor Warren • Guitar/Composer

Winston Clifford • Drums

Annie Whitehead • Trombone

Dudley Phillips • Bass

Mark Lockheart • Saxes

Finn Peters • Music of the Mind

Thu 17 Feb 2011

Fun and funky, Finn Peters’ Music Of The Mind, sounds like nothing you ever heard before as Peters and his band offer a thrilling combination of hip-hop beats, cutting edge science and contemporary jazz, all performed with an engaging theatrical swagger.

Award-winning multi-reedman, composer and producer Finn Peters is one of the UK’s most accomplished and exciting musicians, with an envious musical CV that encompasses jazz, hip-hop, electronica, funk, contemporary classical music and much more besides.

His latest project Music Of the Mind, pulls together two years of extensive research into the mapping of brainwaves and translating them into sound. The resulting album and live show has attracted fans from Gilles Peterson to Thom Yorke, and earned Peters praise from across the media including appearances on GMTV and BBC Radio 4 as well as a forthcoming Channel 4 documentary.

Utilising cutting-edge Californian technology Peters has mapped his own brainwaves, using revolutionary software to turn the results into notes and tones. The often-surprising melodies have been filtered through his love of left field jazz and the funky beats of Hip-Hop visionaries J Dilla, Madlib and DJ Shadow. The live show is delivered with energy and real humour as Peters and his band mates take to the stage in white lab coats trailing an intriguing array of wires, headsets and laptops alongside their more traditional instruments.

Finn Peters • Reeds and electronics

Tom Skinner • Drums and electronics

Dave Price • Percussion

Oren Marshall • Tuba

Matthew Yee King • Computer scientist and electronics

Concerts feature visuals by Yeast and a short introductory documentary film.

Asaf Sirkis Trio

Wed 07 Apr 2010

“Israeli-born drummer and London resident Asaf Sirkis unleashes with thunderous abandon on this hard-hitting fusion offering that harkens back to a time before the genre became codified, diluted and reduced to a critical joke.” • Bill Milkowski, Jazz Times (USA), April 2009

“...Sirkis simply the most sensitive of percussionists” • Chris Parker, January 2009

“Sirkis is not only an inventive drummer but also a composer of rigour, wit and surprising delicacy” • Chris Ingham, Mojo Magazine, October 2008

The Jonathan Bratoëff Quartet draws influences from many sides of the jazz world, from Coltrane to Jason Moran via the New York downtown scene. Each musician brings with him great musical variety and adaptability to a band that looks for a truly contemporary sound with a strong emphasis on melody and energy. The key ingredients are simple with powerful melodies, energetic and vibrant rhythms, rich colourful textures and a mixture of traditional jazz blended with other musical idioms such as African, Rock and Latin music.

Led Bib

Wed 02 Jun 2010

Relentlessly dodging definition, Led Bib are both a maverick jazz band and an unlikely rock quintet. The Walthamstow based five-piece of twenty-somethings who have torn apart the jazz world with their avant-jazz-euphoric-rock explosions of improvisation, pride themselves on side- stepping convention, with incendiary results. Combining the energy and passion of a rock outfit with the technical ability of trained jazz musicians their effect is exhilarating.

Ugly Guys

Wed 14 Jul 2010

Pete Wareham and Matthew Bourne have teamed up for a brilliant new duo project - saxophone and piano playing beautifully dark and exciting tangos, blended together by atmospheric electronics and improvisation.